Gaigin
by fallen.angel.sinthea
Summary: Jumping into a new country feet first is hard. Michelle is doing just that though. She travels from America to Japan to teach English. Turns out that is easier said then done. Between trying to survive a country that isn't as warm to outsiders as it would have you believe and just trying to survive, she's determined to teach this grease head some English. Welcome to Japan, Gaijin.
1. Intro

_ It has been a long time since I have written. I don't know where this story is going. I read a lot here, and get tired of the record breaking pace and unrealistic views of life in Japan, even more so of life of a foreigner in Japan. This story does tweak with the story line some. I don't normally like to give away anything and at this point the pairing is undecided. Suggestions on who each girl should end up with are welcome as are any funny or horror stories of Americans in Japan that you would like to see them go through._

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><p>Intro<p>

Small feminine hands shove the green sleeve into the black suitcase. It really is amazing everything fit. Mentally, she runs off her check list of what to pack as her phone starts to vibrate. She sighs and looks out the window. Another rainy day in Seattle.

"Yes?" Short and to the point. As always. Her voice sounds as tired as she feels.

"Michelle!" God, did the women still sound the same as back in high school. Michelle pinched the bridge of her nose, not really feeling up for the conversation. "Can you believe we leave tomorrow?! I hope I have everything packed. I'm so excited!" Looking at the clock on the nightstand it was 11 PM, how could this girl still have so much energy?

"Sara. Go to bed." Her voice was as hard as always. The voice of reason.

"I just wanted to see if you could suggest anything else I should pack. I can hardly think straight." The girl pleaded. Holy cat's. Plan for yourself.

"A few sticks of deodorant. Ten or so. Goodnight." Pink lips smiled at the thread. She wouldn't really hang up on her friend.

"What? Wait, Why? They have deodorant in Japan." Michelle could just imagine the confused face Sara must have.

Her chest heaves with a sigh. Her long time friend has no idea what she is getting into. Like may of the lucky men and women who got accepted into this teaching program, Sara has romanticize ideals of Japan. "Japanese deodorant sucks. Look it up." With that, her pale finger ended the call. She was too tired for this. It was too late. Sara would get the culture shock she has coming soon enough.

Really, it is amazing that they both made it into the program together. Sara holds onto the idea of how cool it would be to be assigned to the same location, or even the same school. Michelle, ever the realist knows how unlikely that would be. She however, also knew how unlikely it was that they both made it into the program in the first place. She's spent her last week telling her friend 'anything can happen' and cleaning out her apartment.

She collapses onto the naked bed. Everything of hers is in storage with the exception of the one piece of luggage. Her fire red hair is fanned out around her. Her green eyes drift closed as the moon kisses her skin. Sleep comes surprisingly peacefully tonight. The pitter patter of the the rain must help.

Her last night in America passes by uneventfully with little time spent on worrying about how her next year would pan out. The deed was done. She signed the contract. She will be teaching English in some school, probably schools, in Japan for the next year. With her luck, probably in some small fishing village. God, how she hated the smell of fish.

Dreams came and went throughout the night. Nothing that stayed with her in the morning. However, the morning did come all too soon.


	2. Airports Oh My!

_We all know the YYH gang. But you don't know my girls. Because of that, I'm going to spend some time on them and their story. I feel to glaze over their trip to Japan would do them a disservice as well as any readers. ELT is a made up program. Though I have been to Japan as a student, I have not actually been as a teacher. But I know many who have or who currently are. My and their personal experiences in Japan are what I am basing many of bits of this story on. _

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><p>Chapter One<p>

Cold light illuminated the room as the alarm on her phone went off, quite at first but growing angry as it was ignored. A groan escaped parted pink lips as her hands snatched at the phone, silencing it's tantrum. Morning has arrived. The last morning on American soil. Long fingers type in the number for a local cab company on the touch screen and set the phone to speaker as she busied herself with double checking that everything is out of her apartment. Ever the matriculates one she is.

The ringing is replaced by a man's voice. Michelle gives him the address as she shrugs on her jacket. She pulls her bag out the door and pauses. Gazing into the apartment that has been her home for the last four years as she studied at a local university. How time flew by. Reaching in, she grabs the umbrella that was almost forgotten and closes the door. She leaves it unlocked. They keys are on the counter in the kitchen. The land lord will be by in a more decent hour to pick them up.

Six in the morning is not her idea of a decent hour. Walking down the hall she ideally eyes the umbrella. Mrs. Miller gives her a good morning as she comes to the door. Such a sweet old lady. The sky is starting to open up again. Michelle holds out the umbrella, offering it to the old lady. "Take it, I don't need it."

The women is one of few words. That is why they got along over the years. She just nods her head and accepts the offering. Michelle won't need it anyway. The old women has scolded the younger women for never using an umbrella in the past. Michelle knows she needn't bring one, she can always buy another in Japan if she is assigned to a area that gets a lot of rain.

The wait for the cab is a quite one. Not much happens early in the morning. As it pulls up she goes to the back. It pops open and she puts her bag in. The driver, demonstrating his perfectly gentlemanly ways, doesn't even make a move to get out of the vehicle. Getting in, she requests the airport and thinks for the drive, wishing she was still asleep.

English Language Teachers, the program Michelle is contracted with arranged her airfare. All of this round of teachers will be arriving in japan around the same time. Everyone is to land at Narita International Airport and be shuttled to a nearby hotel for a meeting where they will receive their assignments. She doesn't know what happens after that or where she will go. Uncertainty is one thing she hates.

The driver breaks her trance, announcing the fee. Unreasonably high, as usual. Her probably took her dazed state as a chance to run the meter as she hadn't even realized that they had stopped. The world outside was as dark and damp as it was when she zoned out.

After paying the man she retrieved her bag. He stayed inside the warm shelter of the cab again. Such a gentleman. Slowly she made her way inside and got her boarding pass. The airport was quite. She joined the line for security. It would be quick and painless. She only had her purse, opting to not take a carry on bag.

Ten or so heads in front of her was a Burnett who was visibly bursting with excitement. Her purple carry on bag was so bright it made Michelle's head hurt looking at it this early in the morning. Sara was not a girl she wanted to deal with until she had a cup of coffee. Michelle made a point to not catch her friend's attention.

The line moved fast all things considered. Sara managed to not notice Michelle but after clearing security took a seat nearby and waited. Inwardly Michelle groaned. She was waiting for her. The brunette pulled out her phone as Michelle cleared security. Her own phone started going off shortly after, catching Sara's eye. Caught. Dammit.

As soon as Michelle was free from security, the brunette rushed her. High pitched excited talk filled the redhead's ears as she ignored her and went directly for the first cafe she spotted. This did not affect Sara, who whole heatedly believed that her friend of ten years was intently listening to how excited she was, how she knew they would be placed together and how she just knew it would be somewhere super cool like Kyoto our the outskirts of Tokyo. How Sara knew these things, Michelle didn't know. The women was sure of her self and her positive thinking. It drive Michelle insane at times.

As Michelle nursed her coffee, Sara chatted on. Her chatter has moved on to all the guys she is going to meet and how she is going to find "the one", she just knows it. Sara won't have any trouble finding a boyfriend in Japan. From what Michelle has been told it is much more accepted for men to date foreigners than for women to do so. Foreign women are somewhat of an exotic prize. The Japaneses place much more value on cute, something Sara seems to be the embodiment of.

Though Sara is taller than Michelle, she is proportionate in most ways. Her chest is on the smaller size but with her slightly narrower hips, she looks on the younger side. Her wavy hair is often tied up but is currently allowed to fall freely. Her chocolate waves cascade down her shoulders where they end. Sara's skin is a light olive color. In a word, the women is adorable.

Michelle on the other hand is short. Her legs are still long when compared to her body size. Her chest is on the small side in all reality but her small body gives them more presence on her. While loose, the strands of fire reach her lower back. She doesn't really care about her hear, allowing it to grow to her lower back more out of laziness than due to a fashion statement. Her pale skin gives a striking contrast.

After chugging down her coffee, Michelle throws her fire red hair into a messy bun, wanting to not have to deal with it for a while. Sara at some point stopped talking and fetched her own drink; probably tea. Together they walk to the gate. Sara, now over her initial excitement continues to chat at Michelle, though at a much quieter and calmer pace. The talk has now shifted to the trip itself.

Over ten hours on a plane waits for them. They got lucky, with recent advancements passenger aircraft are now able to travel between Seattle and Tokyo without needing to stop for fuel. Their trip could have taken over 15 hours if a layover was required. That really can make a girl thankful for an 11 hour plane ride. Sara and Michelle had booked their seats together. Though Michelle can often times get annoyed and exasperated with Sara, they are close friends and She can think of no one she would rather spend an 11 hour plane ride stuck next too. It would be even better of Sara napped through part of it.

Boarding was uneventful really. Sara had to wrangle with her over stuffed carry on bag but had managed to get it shoved into the overhead compartment. It took the help of two young men who are also a part of the ELT program. Sara thought this was the funniest thing. Her laughter drew the eyes of an elder Asian couple who appeared to frown on it. Michelle sighed at the look they received for her friend's antics. Not even in Japan yet and Sara is standing out like a sore thumb.

Their flight took off after a boring hour on the tarmac. Sara chatted with anyone who would listen. Every chance Michelle was given she looked over her notes. Like many of the people in the ELT program, she studied Japanese language in university and she took this as an opportunity to get some last minute studding in before hit the 'sink or swim' moment.

Sara would do well to fallow her friend's lead. Sara had studied Japanese in High School but hardly used it over the last four years and was very rusty. Sara had studied Accounting in University. An English degree or Japanese language skills are not a requirement for this particular program. ELT believes that native speakers of English are best suited to teach the language. Their only real requirements are being able to commit to a year contract and having a bachelor's degree. The shear amount of applicants is what makes it so hard to get into ELT.

The plane ride itself was uneventful. Sara entertained herself chatting with anyone who would listen. Michelle gazed out the window as the sky moved around them. At times Sara napped and Michelle listened to audio books or music. Sitting for such a long amount of time was draining combined with the drastic time difference. When the wheals hit the ground, everyone on board was exhausted. Even Sara was quite toned down all things considered.

Slowly the group moved through the airport. Other foreigners added themselves to the group as they walked by. Some asked if others are a part of ELT, others just assumed. As the group of now 15 reach the baggage claim someone spots a Caucasian man in a suite, holding a sign reading 'ELT'. Everyone gathers around him after collecting their bags.

Most of the group had two bags to claim. One girl, seemingly just as perky and cheery as Sara had three bags. Not one to be outdone, Sara had four bags in addition to her carry on. Michelle chuckled watching others struggle with their bags as she pulled her single bag behind her as the group followed the man to a small bus. Everyone loaded up and considering the amount of luggage, it was amazing everyone fit inside. The trip to the hotel was a loud one, everyone talking at once trying to get to know everyone else. Michelle doubted anyone really heard and understood what another person was saying.

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><p><em>I'm surprised to have a review already. From a guest. Well, guest- I am happy that you found it refreshing. I love Japan. I loved my time in the country and I loved the many Japanese friends I have made. But to tell the truth, I want to give an honest view of what it is like being a foreigner in Japan. Many stories here think it is all peaches and roses and honey, that ain't the truth. I promise we will meet at least one familiar face in the next chapter.<br>_

_Oh! If someone could give me an idea of how long is preferable for a chapter? I tend to forget when I'm writing that a chapter on here has a different meaning then a chapter in an actual book. Any feedback is always welcome. _


	3. Dinner and a quiz

_Thank you to my second guest reviewer for the kind words. Bonus points to them for catching my use of "flu" rather than "flew". Goes to show that I do my writing late at night after my daughter has gone to bed when I should be sleeping. I have one vote so far for long bookish chapters. That is my personal preference. Though I probably wont make chapters as long as a book here as it is hard to keep place without the pages to break up the text somewhat. Really, if I go with longer chapters it will probably be two to three postings to make up an actual chapter if printed as a book. _

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><p>At the hotel the group of mostly young adults were gathered into a large conference room. Most everyone was dragging, clearly spent and suffering from the sever jet lag. Tokyo is a whopping 16 hours ahead of Seattle. Sara and Michelle's plane finally managed to take off at around 9 Am on a Monday. Their bodies are feeling as if it should be 8 Pm on the same day. Due to the magic of time zones the current time in Tokyo is around Noon on Tuesday. When they eventually make the return trip, they will essentially travel back in time, landing in Seattle when according to the calendar and clocks, they should just be leaving. Really, it is truly impressive to think about. Right now, no one in the room was feeling impressed; rather disheartened that time to sleep was so far off.<p>

The man who had lead the group hadn't bothered introducing himself but stood at the head of the table as he waited for everyone to take seats. The man was tall, around six feet if not a little above. His hair was a sandy blonde. Simple glasses sheltered his soft brown eyes. Being older than everyone in the group, he gave off a warm fatherly aura even in his dark suit. As chatter died down, he began to speak in perfect English only slightly touched with an English accent.

"First off, let me say: Welcome to Japan. I know that you all are tired. You made a great journey to get here and will have your well earned rest soon enough. Soon dinner will be brought in. No doubt, you are all hungry. I know airplane food is almost as bad as hospital food." He pauses to smile at his own small joke. A few chuckles come from the group. Michelle is too tired but offers a small smile. Sara on the other hand gives a hearty laugh.

He continues, " For now I have some basic information to go over with you all." His face takes on a more serious expression.

"Whenever not inside your home, carry your visa and identification on you at all times. If it is lost, immediately go to the embassy to receive another. Authorities have full right to request to see your paperwork at any given time. Having it on your person will save you a lot of troubles and time.

Remember to contact us if you have any problems. Most of you have been set up with housing that ELT owns. I will speak to the few of you that are going to be in rental rooms. Every one of you are taking over the housing of a former ELT teacher who has left Japan. Many leave useful items for the next person to use. We encourage you to respect those items however they are yours to do with as you please.

Most of you are in traditional housing, without bathing facilities. You will be provided with the location of the local bath house with your assignment documents.

I must remind you all, this is not America. You will do best to adapt a 'Japanese' attitude. You will have hardships, your feelings will get hurt and you will work over time. Learn and adopt the culture and this will be a much better experience." As he finished up his last, and in many ways most important point servers came into the room carrying large pots of stew, burners and bowls.

They made quick work of setting a few pots along the length of the table as well a basket of chopsticks, a pot of rice and pots of tea. This was a basic and informal stew meal. Everyone would dish the desired amount of rice and pick out of the pot what they wished. Large spoons rested in the pots for those that would like the juice as well. A small cup held forks and spoons for anyone who may not know how to use chopsticks or not be comfortable with it.

Everyone quickly dished up before the man spoke again. "Now, your greatest support through the next year of your stay here, is everyone in this room. You are all Gaijin. Does anyone know exactly what that means?"

A man with a shaved head raised his hand. He was young, with dark eyes and even darker skin. " A foreigner." He spoke, plain as day. As if it was something as simple as that. The man in the suit sighed and spoke again.

"Yes, but more than that. Anyone else?"

"Someone who is not Japanese." Michelle's Clear voice rang out as she spoke with confidence. " Someone who as such, is not a part of Japan. They are not a part of the country, the group and never can be. Gaijin will always be just that, Gaijin." She paused before continuing. This was a lesson her Japanese Professor made sure his class understood. " Gaijin is used often in a derogatory sense to mean 'one who doesn't belong'. When used, it can be as simple as stating a fact or it can be used to cut like a knife." The man smiled at her.

"very good. It will do you all good to remember that. Gaijin in many ways is now a part of your identity. It is the first thing people will think when they see you. It can and probably will cause you hurt. Your best defense against sorrow and loneliness is fellow gaijin. Make friends with someone so you have someone to turn to that understands. " At this, he returns to his food.

Everyone is quite at first. Thinking while eating. For some, the lesson was a slap in the face. This wont be easy like they thought. For others, such as the African American man that spoke up to answer the question that seemed so easy, it will be a continued battle that now have different rules. Slowly, people start talking to their neighbors. He is right, they need friends to make it through this. They all know that now.

The man finishes his small serving first and gathers envelopes before speaking again. "It is time for formal introductions. It should have happened sooner, for that I apologize. " He stands. "My name is Tim Hage, I am your program coordinator. Hajimemashou." He says with a bow. Some students look confused at the Japanese tacked on at the end but none question him as they finish their plates. "As I call your name, please come up and collect your assignments and introduce yourself."

And so the parade begins. A John goes up first. The group is a good mix of ethnicity. Sara is one of the first called up. Her introduction includes that she loves purple and is so very excited to meet everyone. Always cheery. Before here, everyone has just given their name and where they are from. Michelle is one of the last called up. She, like others, just gives the bare minimum of an introduction.

Michelle is pulled over by Sara who is chanting that she must see where Michelle is going. Sara's face breaks out into a huge grin after snatching the papers from Michelle. The girl starts jumping up and down with excitement, her waves bouncing with her body.

"We are both gong to Arakawa, Tokyo!" She announces. Mr. Hage makes his way over to them.

"It seems you two know each other already?" He questions.

Michelle just nods, feeling the need to be quite to make up for the volume of Sara's rambling.

"You two are in a two bedroom apartment, unlike others, your's does have a traditional Japanese bathroom complete with a tub. However, it is down for repair, scheduled to take place later this month. "He mumbles looking over the paperwork. "Oh, the unit has the option of including a fridge or two bicycles, your preference?" He asks smiling. He has never had any choose to go without a fridge to have a bike.

Michelle told him that she indeed, did want a fridge in the apartment. Who would have guessed? Somehow as unlikely as it seemed, both Sara and Michelle managed to be placed in the same location, though both assigned to different schools. Both girls had one elementary school and a high school as their assignments. they got off easy, some had three of four schools to teach at.

Slowly groups dispersed to their rooms. One night of rest before to race to get settled. Classes start on Monday.

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><p><em>Arakawa is a district of Tokyo. Tokyo itself has 13 ward districts and is just massive. I do not know what district the gang are in so forgive me for taking some liberty with this. <em>

_Mr. Hage's lesson on the word 'gaijin' was a bit of a mix of what I was taught before my stay in Japan as a student and what my friend was taught before her stay as a teacher. Like many words in Japanese, gaijin has a underling meaning as I tried to explain.  
><em>

_Hajimemashou is one of the words that doesn't directly translate. Many simple translate it as "nice to meet you" but that is only the quick answer that is good enough. It really means something more along the lines of "please be kind to me" and is thus a request to begin the relationship on a kind note. _

_I promise in the next chapter you will get to see a face you already know. _


	4. Trains

_Hello again! It's been so long since I have written. Years before I started this story. All the positive words have been great to hear. Thank you! Dumbrat- You get the cookie for catching the editing errors. I'm sure you will find a few this time as well. I'm happy you are finding my work informative as well as a decent read. Any questions anyone has about Japan and Japanese culture, if you ask me them I'll try to work their answers into the story. I will be using some Japanese language in off and on, mostly when I don't have a adequate English translation for the word. _

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><p>Most members of the ELT group went to bed early the previous night and slept until the last minute in a desperate attempt to both recover from the jet lag and to adjust their internal clocks to the drastic difference. A difference of 16 hours will take a few days to adjust to however, that does not stop the young adults from trying. Having to be awake and back in the conference room by six in the morning does offer some assistance.<p>

Mr. Tim Hage waits for the students while sipping on coffee. Though he tried, he knows that many of them won't really have much of a clue what they are getting themselves into. His mind wonders a bit as he mentally takes bets on who is going to be calling him soonest, most often and who will break their contracts and return to America first. Heaving a sigh, he begins nibbling a muffin and shifts uncomfortably in his suit. One of the last things to run through his mind before people start trickling in is that maybe he should return to America. Teaching Japanese at home he wouldn't have to wear a uncomfortable suit.

Sara groans and covers her head with the blanket. Cold hands shake her again after yanking the cloth away. Green eyes glare down at the dozing women. Thump. Thump. Thump. Sara screams and dives out of the bed. Three ice cubes rest in her place.

"What. The. Hell?!" her voice high with what she was sure was a righteous rage. Right now, Sara could be snoozing away happy in a warm bed. Her eyes drifted to the clock, planning on using it to determine how much more time she could have been sleeping to use against her friend in her rant. What the clock tells her however, is that it is 5:45 am and she would be lucky to get a shower.

Michelle just waits and watches as the gears in her friend's head tuns. Sara is so expressive, one can watch her think and tell when something falls into place. Sara suddenly makes a mad dash for the bathroom. The last block had fallen into place and Sara remembered that their apartment currently doesn't have a working shower. Ten minutes later she is out and throwing things in her bag.

They join the group in the conference room at two after six and thus are one of the last to join the group. Mr. Hage passes out train passes and a map to the train station. People exchange phone numbers and chat over coffee and muffins. The train leaves the station at 8 leaving them with a little time to spare. Soon enough pairs and small groups leave. Transportation to the train is not provided. This is the last that ELT is providing for them.

The program owns most of the housing so rent is not a concern. The program provided them with work and a livable wage as well as getting them to their neighborhood but beyond that, each needs to do for themselves. Those who are bad with money or wish for more than they have will end up taking on private English students. Others will chase after culture. Some will hunt for love.

Michelle and Sara thank Mr. Hage for all of his help and are one of the first to leave. Their walk is a short one as the train station is only a mile from the hotel. They take their time with it. They soak up the sights as they move through the mass of people all going about their business. Michelle wonders if maybe this is what it would be like to walk through New York City. They are in the heart of Tokyo.

Though it is a business day, the traffic leaving this station was massive. The girls are swept with the flow of the people down the stairs and into the subway station. Michelle's Japanese is much better then Sara's and so she leads the way to their platform. They wait with the countless other people. Most everyone looks the same. Few students are around due to most schools being in session at the moment. Dark hair and suits are everywhere.

Its three minutes and five seconds till eight when their train was scheduled to arrive. Michelle starts counting down the seconds under her breath as Sara looks at her confused.

"Five. Four. Three. Two." The train pulls to a stop as she smiles. Sara demands to know how she was able to predict that the train was going to stop right then. Michelle explains that she has always heard that you could set a watch by a Japanese train, always three minutes early.

Everyone waits as the cars empty but as soon as the last soul is off, masses of people move onto the train. Michelle and Sara are one of last people on. In the corner of Michelle's vision she could swear she saw red hair but is distracted as it moves somewhere behind her and people cram in. Strangely Michelle and Sara are given extra room, though it is really hard to tell and the girls are still too new to the country to notice.

The girls are squished together. Michelle's chest smashed into Sara's arm and Sara's slightly pressed against the back of a suit. Halfway through the ride, Michelle feels a man press closer against her back. She thinks nothing of it at first. The person must just have needed to shift their body to be more comfortable. Her mind quickly changes as she feels a large hand on her, gently at fist brushing her rear before more firmly gripping her through her jeans.

She knows what is expected of her. Just move away the best she can and keep quite. Don't make a scene, don't draw attention to yourself. She however, is still new and hasn't had time to adjust and adopt such a meek attitude. She squirms as she tries to turn and request the person not grope her but is unsuccessful. She can only see the man when her neck was twisted as far as she could and not for long. In one attempt to talk with the man she sees a glimpse of red hair again. Sara is unable to really tell what is going on.

When Michelle moves to turn again Sara is able to shift enough to allow her to complete part of her turn. As she is battling to turn she is unaware of what is happening behind her. A taller man with long red hair has seen what is going on. He is disgusted by the man's actions and to be treating a gaijin in such a way. His actions would reflect on the country as a whole.

The red haired man shifts and shuffles bringing himself closer to the man who in all reality was almost right next to him the whole time. People shift to allow him through and are no doubt annoyed. As the girl turns to face forward again he reaches out and grabs the man's hand and removes it from her while he moves in front of the disgusting little man.

Michelle is able to turn just as she feels a shuffling behind her. Sara manages to stumble a bit with all of Michelle's squirming and pushes Michelle into the man, hard. He stands firm, only letting out a bit of a breath as her shoulder hits him in the chest. She looks up at him, her green eyes meeting their match. A Japanese man with red hair and green eyes. How strange.

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Gomenasai" Michelle mumbles, bowing her head to him quickly as a slight blush at the situation creeps up on her cheeks.

"dou Itashimashite" he answers quietly in a silky voice, surprised to hear how well the girl who is clearly gaijin speaks the Japanese language.

"Everything okay?" Sara asks just a little too loudly in English, unable to see what is going on with her friend.

"Yeah, fine." Michelle answers in a much softer voice noticing the looks Sara received for her louder voice.

The rest of the ride passed quickly. Michelle kept her eyes forward studying the shoulder of the women's suit that hovered just three inches from her chest. Containing her curiosity of the man she was pressed into was a challenge. She knew however examining him or questioning him was not appropriate at that moment. Soon enough the train stops gently and the doors open. She and Sara are swept out of the car by the flow of people and she looses sight of the red haired man who rescued her.

"What was the squirm feast about?" Sara questioned as they climbed the stairs into the light of day. The girls followed their map and hoped that Mr. Hage was reliable in his directions. As they moved away from the station people spread out and dispersed. They had much more breathing room then in Central Tokyo.

"I got groped." Michelle stated plain as day. Sara's eyes got large and she nearly dropped the handles to her bags. How the women managed to drag the three large bags Michelle had no idea. Michelle did help her though, and was dragging Sara's purple carry on bag in addition to her own large bag.

"I thought that was only in anime?!" Her voice rose in volume and pitch, drawing eyes to her. "Do we need to go to the police?!" Michelle sighed. Their conversation was in English so at least those around them don't know what they are talking about.

"No. Quite down." Michelle ordered, though her voice wasn't what drew the attention to them. "Nothing can be done. It is fine. Just how things are. I'm sure it won't happen all the time" Michelle finished as they turned at a intersection. Sara agreed softly and the topic was dropped. Their talk drifted to how they liked the feel of the neighborhood and how the area had a good amount of small local commercial businesses but little industry and only some taller office buildings. Their area was more of a residential area catering to families and their needs. Many of the adults living here no doubt commute to work.

After twenty minutes they came to a building with a matching address. It was three stories tall and each floor had ten units lined up with stairs on each end of the building. The girls walked along each floor as they look for their unit, 4C. They found their unit on the top floor. Theirs was not an end unit so they will have to be aware of being too loud on both sides of their unit.

Michelle takes a deep breath as she puts the key in the lock and turns. She makes eye contact with Sara and together they count down from three. Swinging open the door on one.

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><p><em>I think this is a good spot to stop, a girl does have to sleep you know? Let me know if you find any errors, my keyboard has been acting up but I think I may have caught all of it. I know most everyone knows "gomenasai" as 'I'm sorry' but it is more of a cross between that and 'excuse me'. Most everyone also knows "arigatou" but in that situation it is proper to add "Gozaimasu" though it doesn't change the meaning at all really- Just gives the respect that is due to a stranger. <em>

_I used "dou itashimashite" because it gets no love! It just means 'your welcome'. I'm putting translations at the end to give the feeling of not understanding what is being said- as Sara will run into often. Nothing important will be in Japanese, I promise._

_Last side note: I got my butt groped on my third train trip in Japan and was lucky enough to have the room to move away from the man. But it really does happen and some trains do have 'women only' cars however it is not an enforceable rule. Oh and I can't promise that I'll write at this pace all the time so no promise on a chapter a day continuing. _


	5. Home Sweet Home

_So, I figured that with the exception of the housing often shown in Anime, most of you are not familiar with a typical Japanese apartment. Most of what is shown in Anime would be actual houses or higher priced apartments. Chobits actually shows a typical cheap place pretty well but it doesn't have a bathroom- a trait that is fairly typical for lower priced rentals depending on location._

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><p>The door swung open slowly to reveal the dark apartment. The curtains had been drawn closed by the previous tenant. The air smelled old and stale. As the girls moved in they kept quite for a moment. The space gave off the feeling of mourning the previous tenant that had abandoned it to return to the States. As the last bag crossed the threshold, Sara pulled the door closed. For a moment, they just stood in place. Then Michelle removed her shoes and crossed the room to the large panel of curtains and pulled them back revealing the sliding glass door leading to their small balcony.<p>

Bright noonday sun filled the space. Michelle pulled the door open, allowing fresh air into the room. The few simple actions had managed to breath life into the space, however little and break the spell that seamed to have hold over the apartment. It was small, likely designed for university students on a budget.

Sara followed Michelle into the room, leaving her shoes on however. Michelle gave the brunette a hard look. Sara has a lot to learn about life in Japan and Michelle would have to teach her everything she knows on a crash course. Michelle however, is not an expert having never lived in Japan but she will have to do the best she can. Sara's lessons begin now.

"Go back." Michelle points to the entry and Sara gives her a confused look. "Go back to the concrete floor. Get off the mats." She then points down at the Tatami mats that cover the floor of most of the room. They only stop four feet out from the kitchen counters where linoleum marks the beginning of the kitchen area. Michelle enjoys the springy feeling under her feet. Sara does as she is told not asking any questions but her annoyance is visible.

"Take off your shoes." Michelle orders, her voice a cross between a drill Sargent and a teacher. This should have been obvious to the anime loving Sara. Sara removes a shoe and goes to place her foot down on the cold concrete floor. "No." Sara stops, her foot hovering a few inches above the floor. Michelle sighs, knowing she must explain or Sara would never understand and would proceed to make the same mistakes when visiting a Japanese home where this would matter. Michelle walks over to Sara to begin her lesson.

"Place your foot here," She points at the tatami mat and continues. "slip your other shoe off and place your foot on the mat as well. The inside of your shoes and your socks are considered clean. They may come into the home. The outside of your shoes are dirty and to wear them into the home would make it dirty. The concrete floor thus, is also dirty as it comes into contact with the outside of your shoes. To place your socked foot on it would make it dirty as well. To make a home dirty is very rude and disrespectful. Never do that." Michelle finishes her lesson with a softer smile. Oh the rules they would have to adapt to.

Together they explore the apartment. The entry hall leads into the main room. Across from the hall is the sliding door that leads to the small balcony. To the left of the door is the kitchenette area. It is painfully small and the previous tenant made the most of the space. A rice cooker sat on the counter near the door, next to a small microwave. The sink was next to that. Michelle frowned at having the electronics so close to the source of water but understands that the small space demands it. It looks like the old tenant agreed as both items had been kept unplugged. The plugs next to the sink had child proof covers placed on them, likely to keep any splashed water out. A drying rack sat in the sink with a few plates and utensils. On the other side of the sink was a small counter space with a empty glass storage jar labeled with the kanji 'rice'.

Where the counter ended, a small stove sat. The size and style reminded Michelle of the stoves in older motor homes. Folded over the burners was a cover, allowing the stove to serve as extra counter space when needed and to keep the burners clean in the process. It was likely a gas stove though neither girl moved to check. Lastly in the kitchen row was the fridge. It stood a grand total of five feet tall. Even Michelle could reach anything stored on top of it.

A small window was above the sink and a sole cabinet hung above a section of counter. A small vent was hanging over the stove. Not much gourmet meals could be prepared in this kitchen. That was not the thought behind the design. Like much of the apartment, it was small and functional- they would have the means to feed themselves and so they would not starve. That was good enough. That would have to be. Michelle would greatly miss the freedom in cooking she had in America. Sara would hardly notice as she already lived out of boxed foods.

In the living room two small shelving units sat lined up against the right wall where the tatami mats began. The one closest to the kitchen had a few pots and pans, lids and a wok. Michelle imagines that with the lack of storage space it functioned for the last tenant as an extension of the kitchen. Deep red cloth was on the floor next to the shelf. It had probably been draped over in the past to keep the dust off the items. The shelf next to it sat bare with the exception of a beat up cast iron tea set for four.

Behind the girls, next to the wall where the hall ended was a tall bookshelf on each side of the hall. In the back left corner on a small triangular stand sat a TV. TV service was provided as well as a basic internet service through Wi-Fi throughout the building. In the center of the room was a kotatsu also known to many gaijin as heaven in winter. The dark wood of the table top shined in the sun. It had been well taken care of. The quilt flowing out from under the table was deep red.

The back wall continued to the left leading to another hallway. Doors ran along the left of the hall. Michelle opened the first one to be greeted by a very small room. Inside facing the door sat a mostly western style toilet. A small sink was built into the back. The door next to this room took them to the bathing room that was due for repairs in a week. It was larger with a counter, sink and mirror. The room was tile floored and walled with a drain in the center. The floor ever so slightly tilted to the drain. A shower head on a hose and knobs are low on the wall. A large soaking tub with the hard cover over it is sitting in the back of the room. Michelle makes a mental note to teach Sara about the Japanese bath later that week.

The next two rooms each had desks and small dressers. In the closets folded futons were found. When set out, they would cover most of the exposed floor room leaving just enough room for the other furnishings and to open the door. Michelle takes the room at the end of the hall and places her bag inside before going into Sara's room.

"I'm going to go out to the convenience store real fast and grab us some lunch and something for dinner. Any requests?" Michelle asks the girl struggling to fit all her clothes into the dresser and lower shelf of the closet.

"No, Not really. Maybe something America?" Sara responds. They would have to go shopping for food tomorrow but they needed to eat something in the meantime. Sara was feeling somewhat homesick now that she is actually in Japan. Michelle just nods her head and heads out, grabbing her purse on the way out.

Michelle walks down the road thinking to herself. The feeling in Japan is so different. The roads are smaller, thinner. In many places in the neighborhood through the traffic was two way, the road was only about a lane and a half wide. Though Michelle knows she will probably miss her car at some point, she knows she would be terrified to drive here. It take her about 15 minutes to make it to the small shop.

She wonders down the rows with her cart grabbing a few necessities. She picks up green tea, instant coffee and some milk. For Sara she picks up a breakfast cereal that looks somewhat familiar. In the frozen section she grabs a few TV dinners that look recognizable. After all the traveling her mind is shot and she is hardly bothering to try and read the words all around her. Michelle assumes she is just a bit shell shocked herself actually being here.

In the produce section she grabs a few apples, some bananas and oranges. She knows she probably grabbed too much as she has to carry it all back but is feeling too tired to go and put anything away. After standing in line her order is wrong up. The young man behind the counter is likely a college student and seems bright eyed at seeing her.

"Hello" he calls to her, his English heavy with his accent. Michelle smiles back.

"Konnichiwa" she returns, giving a slight bow. He tells her the total and she fishes the cash out of her wallet. Carrying cash again would take some getting used to. Many places outside of the city centers don't take plastic yet. The man wishes her 'good bye' and to have a "peasant day" in English. Michelle wished him a good day in Japanese and left, containing her giggles until the door closed. The man had been so excited to practice his English and had used the wrong word. Michelle didn't have the heart to correct him; Monday she would become an English teacher, no reason to start early- it is only Wednesday!

Her giggles distracted her as she stepped out onto the sidewalk and she collided face first into a hard body. Her paper bag, fairly stuffed slipped from her hands as she bounced off the form and fell back to land hard on her rear end. A cry of "itai" came from her lips before she remembered her manners and collected her legs under herself and bowed low to the form she collided with offering words of apology.

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><p><em>I hope no one is getting annoyed with the pace of the story and that my frequent updates are making up for it. <em>

_Everyone knows Konnichiwa but just in case, it means hello and is the greeting for midday starting around 11Am and use ending around 5:30pm giver or take a little bit depending on location. _

_Itai means 'ouch' and so just communicates that whatever was painful. You may run into it like this: Itai-tai-tai and that is just like 'owie owie owie' and is more like a whine._

_Did you know that the western futon is actually an americanized version of the Japanese futon? The Japanese futon is very comfortable in my opinion, I slept on one the whole year I was in Japan. _

_Kotatsu are the best. Enough Said. They have a small heater under the table and my god. I love them. The best. _

_Oh the shoes- That was inspired by a mistake a friend watched happen that resulted in the offender getting the stink eye for the rest of the night during dinner with their boss. The apartment is modeled after a friend of mine's currently teaching English in Japan. _

_Any questions , comments or suggestions- you know how to reach me. _


	6. To the market

_Hoodiefiend, I'm happy you are enjoying the mix of realism and educational bits with the story. Even happier to hear that you seem to find it well written. _

_I write for myself as it allows me to escape into another world. I base my work in Japan as at this point I cannot return to Japan, though I dearly wish to as a way to keep my cultural habits and mannerisms fresh. Sometimes I'm shy about posting as sometimes I have to tweak things or ignore some things as I do know for it to make sense I have to explain these things that are foreign to many westerners and I don't want to overwhelm the story with lessons. Hearing that I have kept a good balance helps me to keep motivated to type this out rather than just keeping it in my daydreams. _

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><p>A gentle voice returned Michelle's apology and offered to help her up. A man's hand reached into her field of vision. The gesture surprised Michelle however she gladly accepted. Once on her feet she looked at the man for the first time.<p>

Red. That was the most striking feature. Flowing red hair. Second to hit here was his eyes, the color of emeralds that would rival her forest green eyes. The man was, in a word: breathtaking. Once she is on her feet, he kneels down to collect her items and place them back into the bag.

"oh, thank you." Michelle stammers a bit. "you don't have to, "she comments, kneeling down to help. " I'm the one that ran into you." Her words are a bit hesitant. Though she speaks Japanese fairly well, she has not had much real world practice. Their hands brush over an apple and she pulls her hand back quickly. His only pauses for a moment before placing the last apple in the bag, ignoring the slight blush on the girl's pale features.

"Nihongo ga ii desu." He comments, holding her bag. She blushes again, ever so slightly and informs him as is proper in the Japanese culture that no, her Japanese really isn't that good at all. She really just wants to escape. The embarrassment of crashing into this man is too much to deal with on an already overwhelming day.

His hair is red. Her mind keeps focusing on that. She thinks that this may be the man that helped her on the train. She can't be certain and would rather die than ask. He gives her a small smile, seeing her embarrassment. Michelle keeps her eyes on her feet. She really just wishes the young man would give her the bag back and allow her to go on her way. Much to her dismay, that is not what happens.

"Do you live nearby?" He asks. Michelle nodes shyly. She was hoping to avoid much human contact today and adjust slowly. Being thrown into a culture where you are expected to be so meek and humble threw her off her bearings and made her feel very insecure about herself.

"Allow me to escort you home," he offers, "I'll carry your bag for you, it is starting to rip and would hate for it to rip open while you walked." Michelle tried to turn down the kindness. Culture would have demanded it even if she wasn't trying to escape the embarrassing situation. He wouldn't take 'no' for an answer and Michelle had to admit, the bag was heavy and in danger of ripping.

With a sigh she starts walking. He stays by her side. For a while they walk in silence and Michelle steals glances at him. He has delicate features but is none the less handsome. When he catches her in a glance he offers a smile. She is quick to apologize. Goodness, he must just be 18 yet she has to admit he has a much more mature air about him.

He makes small talk, asking about her. She tells him she has only been in the country a short time and that she will be teaching English at a few local schools. He asks what schools and she offers her short list as they reach her building. She offers again to take the bag, not wanting to trouble him with walking up the stairs but he holds fast, only giving it up when he has taken her to her door. She thanks him again, giving a deep bow that sends her hair cascading over her shoulder. She hesitates a bit, now that her chance to escape is here. He takes the chance to introduce himself.

"I'm Michelle." She responds, bowing again though not as deeply this time.

"I've enjoyed your company today. I hope to have the chance to enjoy it again. Until then, I suggest the female only car on the train." He offers as he turns and walks away, looking back he finishes with a smile. Michelle's face heats as her unasked question is answered.

Standing there dumbly, the door opens behind her and Sara grabs her by the arm. Sara drags the girl inside shutting the door behind her and confiscates the bag. She is quick to heat up what looks to be a harmless plate of meatloaf and veggies. Only the first bite will tell if the Japanese TV dinner version is in any way recognizable. They sat on the cushions on the floor and ate at the low table. They did not need to turn the heat on, though it is fall the warm sum is keeping the chill at bay for now.

"So, who did you walk home with?" Sara asks, her eyes shining. Sara is ever the gossip and romantic and surely hoping that her friend has already found love in this land so far from home. Michelle can just imagine the things running through Sara's head. In no way would Michelle tell her that she was talking with a man who rescued her on the train and then came to her aid again after she ran into him. Sara would take that and spin it into a whole new piece of cloth.

"Just a kind young man who helped me with the bag." Michelle played it down, making a point to call him young. She is hoping to insinuate that the man is too young for her, not that she would be interested anyway. In all reality, he probably was. He looked to be just out of high school, if that.

After they finished their meal they turned on the TV. They flipped through the channels. Michelle always heard that most Japanese TV was mind numbing and worthless but my goodness. Shows about pranks, food, and talk shows flipped past. Sara stopped when something caught her eye. The poor women looked so confused that Michelle couldn't help be laugh.

A clip filled the screen. An oddly dressed man in tight black leather was shown moving his hips in a rather provocative way in the direction of some rather good looking men who had been passing by. He was spewing some nonsense that Michelle really didn't want to understand. She knows who this man is, though she wished she didn't.

The screen cut back to a cute young lady who was interviewing said man. He talks on about his love for men and continues his nonsense before they cut to a commercial break. Sara's eyes are wide as a pink background with hearts covers the screen. Again the strange man is presented making his lewd hip movements only in this advertisement he is talking about some candy.

Michelle grabs the remote and turns it off, laughing during this whole episode. She is relaxed now. More so then she has been for the whole trip from Seattle. She is in her home, with her friend and right now, it doesn't matter if she doesn't bow deep enough or if she isn't polite enough or humble enough. No one is around who she could offend. No one that would care is around.

"What did I just watch?" Sara asks. Her words are clipped, spoken in a low voice and slowly, each word drawn out from her horror. This causes Michelle to laugh even more. It really isn't that funny and Michelle knows this. In a way it is a stress reaction and her body has taken over and is now burning off that extra stress.

"Hard Gay" is all she can manage to get out. She laughs harder as her friend she looks at her. Sara's gaze moves back to the blank TV and to Michelle again. This continues for a few minutes as Michelle collects herself.

"What on earth?" Sara asks again.

"He was a comedian. He's not actually gay." she spits out between giggles. Sara just looks at her still confused and slightly traumatized. Michelle just laughs a little more and pats her friend's head. "Welcome to Japan" She states and collects the empty cardboard containers and tosses them into the trash. She then washes their chopsticks quickly.

And so their afternoon passes quickly into night. Michelle teaches Sara a few key phrases that she will need to know and they joke and laugh. Sara can get on Michelle's nerves at times and takes energy to keep up with but the girls balance each other out. Michelle always keeps track of the rules and keeps them from trouble while Sara makes sure that they have their fair share of fun.

Midnight rolls around and they retire to their rooms. Michelle isn't really tired but she knows if she is going have her bodies internal clock adjust to the new day and night, she would have to try and force herself to sleep. As she lays in her futon her mind wonders.

At first it is just to simple things like how the futon is surprisingly comfortable and how though she is in a city, it is surprisingly quite. Soon she is thinking of that man. Suuichi Minamino, he said his name was. He has peaked her curiosity. Minamino is a name she knows, only vaguely. Thinking back she remembers a history lesson, given in one of her Japanese professors tangents about the name. She remembers him saying that it was only allowed to be used by few families of importance, though Michelle doesn't remember the details.

Few families take a new surname and Michelle doubts that this young man would have been important enough to be granted that name, assuming her memory is correct. No, he mind drifts. His father maybe? Or more then likely a grandfather or great grandfather would have had to be important enough to be granted this name. Her mind sinks further down, down into darkness. Her last thought is of roses.

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><p><em>I'm not sure about the history of the Minamino name and I don't believe any real information was granted about Kurama's human family other than his mother and step family. About all I remember is the vague mention from a teacher in passing but considering, wouldn't it be an interesting thing to ponder? Kurama being a powerful demon being born to a human family that has an important history. Fitting in a way. <em>

_Side note: Hard gay is terrible. Hurts my mind. But I couldn't think of something that would sum up about 75% of what I have seen on Japanese TV- though he is a little out dated now. _

_Japanese Breakdown: Nihongo is Japanese referring to language. Nihon is actually the country of Japan and adding 'go' at the end turns it into that country's language. Most languages work like that. Supainu= spain supainugo = spanish language. Neat huh? Anyway ii means good. Desu is the verb for 'is' and further goes on to be expanded to be a verb of existence but to make that make sense would take too long. Anyway, ga is grammar that marks the subject of the statement as Japanese language uses spoken grammar. So directly he stated "Japanese language is good" That he is speaking of her Japanese is implied. Implied topics are common in the language and drove me batty until I adjusted- Now I forget to use the topic in English and confuse people! _


	7. First day of school (Part 1)

_Zoey24: I'm so happy to hear you are enjoying the story. I really wasn't sure how this story would be received with the somewhat harsh realities that come with being a Gaijin. I can tell you, everyone will be involved at different points. Some more than others. The reality of the story will be hard to keep up as the demonic aspects come into play but I strive to keep it balanced. I'm also glad you enjoyed the second meeting of Kurama and Michelle- it was a gift to a friend currently in Japan as that is how she met her soon to be husband._

_Hakudoushi-9 and last chapter's guest reviewer- I'm glad you are enjoying the story. _

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><p>The rest of the week passed slowly and strangely fast at the same time. It is funny how that can happen. The girls spend their time shopping for food and learning their way around their general location. They find the best ways to get to and from their assigned schools. Overall they just spend their time adjusting to their new way of life.<p>

Sara has Michelle drill her at times on proper manners and actions that she will need. Sara has managed to tone down her personality ever so slightly and though she often forgets and draws attention to herself she is managing to find her place. She will still have a hard time.

Michelle works on finding her balance between the reserved personality that she can slip on fairly easily and the more open and out spoken personality she had spent years trying to adopt. She in the past had few friends due to being quite. It is not that she was a loner, she just always got caught up observing and would forget to participate and join in. Her friendship with Sara has been her greatest aid in her coming out of her shell.

Friday comes and the girls make their trips to their schools to meet the staff and learn their way around. Sara and Michelle are paired together at the same elementary school in the morning. It was a change in Sara's assignment that was passed down Thursday afternoon. Sara had been very excited about this change. Michelle had to admit that it would be nice to have a friend at one of the schools.

The principal shows them around the Elementary school. They are shown each what rooms they will be teaching in. Each has two morning classes, one with younger children and one with slightly older children. They are next shown the staff room.

It is a small room crammed full of desks. some piled high with papers and others kept almost painfully clean. Some teachers are working hard at their desk, other desks sit empty. A blonde girl sits at a desk, working away preparing lesson plans for the upcoming first week of school. Her complexion and blonde hair give her away as a fellow Gaijin and Michelle knew she was likely to meet in her employment. The girl works hard while the principal shows the two new comers their desks, to the left of the veteran. They are left to spend as long as they wish to get to know each other and their area.

They learn that their coworker's name is Robin and that she has been in Japan for three years now, through a rival teaching program. She is engaged to be married to a Japanese man and is in her late twenties. She is a very optimistic person with a slightly mothery personality. A friend such as her would be comforting in such a far away land. Soon the girls split up, agreeing to meet for lunch later.

Michelle makes the short trip to her assigned high school while Sara went to do the same in a different direction. Soon Michelle is standing in front of a large building. It had a large clock tower and has the feel of an institution. This was an average school. Nothing special really. Students will study long and hard, often attending cram school in the evening to get into the best schools. This is not one of them. This is the school that the kids that don't make the cut for their desired school or schools.

Michelle is shown her classes again and is led to the staff room. Her desk is again in the back of the packed room. The teacher's here seem busy and stressed. A man in a dark blue suit walks up to her and introduces himself as the English teacher she will be assisting. He goes on to tell her to fully expect to teach the class on her own as he has more important classes that demand his full attention.

Michelle heaves a sigh as he walks away. She expected it. Her program provides assistant English Teachers as it is believed by many in Japan that a native speaker can teach the language best. A actual teacher is responsible for the class. However, many ALTs (assistant language teachers) find themselves in a one man show as the teachers often teach more than one subject. She hopes the teacher she works under in the elementary school is better but knows she should be prepared for the worst.

The Michelle and Sara meet for a quite lunch in a small cafe in the city where they compare notes. Shortly they are joined by Robin who is escaping the school for a lunch break. The blonde is eager to have fellow Americans around and offers much advice. For all three years of her stay she has worked in the same schools. She is quick to confirm Michelle's assumption that they would be largely on their own in their teaching. It seems that the actual teachers are quick to offer help in translation when needed.

Soon Robin is running down the street and is off back to work. Being a returning teacher, she started her work for the year a few days earlier in order to help set the school up. If Michelle and Sara renew their contracts in a years time, they would likely be doing much of the same things.

After lunch the girls go shopping for their Elementary school classes. Though Michelle is sure they will enjoy all of their classes, she knows that the younger kids will give a special type of enjoyment that can only come from watching the youngest of kids understand a new language. High school is a much more strict environment, limiting some of the activities she could use while teaching.

Soon they find themselves looking at painted foam fruits and vegetables in a craft store. They plan to use them as props for a fun vocabulary building game. Soon their props have expanded to include shapes, colors and some textures as well. Their giggles fill the store as they plot and plan the possibilities. Unbeknownst the them, a green eyed redhead passes by the end of the aisle.

It is a family trip, one of few for some painting supplies for his mother. The middle aged gentleman comments to the young men offhandedly that it is disgraceful to draw so much attention to oneself. The redhead's mother quietly tells the man to hush. She reminds him that the girls are doing business at the store and not doing anything negative. Kurama smiles to himself at his mother's gentle reminder to be kind as the gaijin round the corner with their baskets of seemingly random items.

The girls pay for their items and and head home to prepare lesson plans. Kurama is left to trail his family as his mind wonders to the gaijin girls. They brought a unique warmth to the store. That's not to say that the Japanese girls didn't giggle or have fun but the gaijin didn't care about keeping appearances, not drawing any attention to themselves or being cute enough. For Kurama, it was a breath of fresh air in a somewhat stifling culture. He had to admit that it was nice to see a bit of this side compared to when he had walked her home and she maintained an imitation of what was expected of a young women in Japan. That night, he is dreams are haunted by green eyes that are deeper than his own.

The weekend passes quickly. The girls plan various lessons and games for their classes. They look up basic children's songs that they could teach the kids. Every minute of the weekend was enjoyed. Michelle thrived on the easy going atmosphere. The apartment is their retreat and their shelter, giving them somewhere where they can be truly themselves while they try to adjust to the new culture without completely loosing themselves.

Monday comes quickly. The girls get up and eat their breakfast, drink their coffee and dress for the day. Michelle pulls her hair back into a low bun that rests against the base of her neck. Her side swept bangs flair out a bit to left. When the bright sun hits it just right, her red bangs look like a flame leaping out of her hair. Her green eyes are matched by her forest green long sleeve shit. The high V neck keeps her from feeling like she is being strangled without being revealing. A black knee length skirt is matched with a black suit jacket and simple black flats.

Sara takes a bit longer to get ready. Her chocolate hair is pulled into a high ponytail. Under her gray sweater her blue shirt peeks out. She wears matching gray slacks and blue flats. Her outfit is conservative and yet her bright personality shines through in her eyes as well as her smile. They are eager for the day ahead of them.

Michelle walks into her first class two hours later with the English teacher at her side. The young kids all stand and greet the adults. This class is of first graders, the youngest of her students. The teacher greats the children and introduces himself then motions Michelle forward to do the same. The kids great her with slightly sloppy English "hello"s. These kids are young however many of them know some very basic English. Soon, they are singing the ABC song as Michelle points at the letters she has written on the black board. At times she stops and works with the group on the pronunciation when she notices the group having consistent trouble with a letter.

The class ends and kids say a 'good bye' to the teachers as a group. The teacher's return the gesture themselves and head off to their next room. In Japanese schools, it is the teachers that change rooms with each class, not the students. The next group is a few years older. Greetings are exchanged and the teachers again introduce themselves.

Michelle has this class review the alphabet though this time she has the group do a mixture of singing the same song and naming a random letter she points at. Latter she has the kids write the letter she calls out. After everyone has written it down, she writes it on the board. It is still early and she doesn't want to have to grade paperwork from the first day so she gives none of her morning students actual assignments that will be graded, only encourages them to practice.

After this class the students are dismissed to lunch. Michelle meets Sara and Robin in the staff room to compare their mornings. Robin surprises them with packed lunches for them. Traditional bento style lunches though they are not homemade, rather they had been bought from a store. Still, the thought of the action was not lost on the girls who had planned on grabbing something on their way to their next school. Together they ate and talked, Robin wanting to know everything about their morning. Robin also passed on a few ideas as to activities for the young kids.

Robin's whole day is spent at this one school so as lunch ends, she must head off to class. Michelle and Sara split up and head off to high school. Michelle is somewhat nervous about it, she will be teaching third year students in a lower end school. Their English could be very good however, it was more likely that it is desperately lacking in vocabulary and actual speaking skills.

On her way through the gates she passes the red headed Shuiichi. He had brought his step brother his forgotten lunch and visited with a few of his friends who are just starting their last year in school. He was surprised to see the red headed gaijin girl walking into the school. He seems to be running into her at every turn this last week. As he passes her, he offers her a smile. Though he would love to stop and chat, he has matters to attend to in Spirit World. It seems he would have to settle for the slight smile the gaijin girl returns. Cook Michelle, he remembers her name was.

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><p><em>I really enjoyed bento from the stores while in Japan, but you had to know the right ones to get. Some just tasted bad. I feel bad that it is taking so long to get everyone involved in the story. I swear, most everyone will be in the next chapter. I hope no one minds the slower pace of the story. This will be a longer story as I do want you guys to love Michelle and Sara as much as I do. Any love Robin gets is just bones points! I'm hoping to have another chapter out before the end of the week but I will be out of town for the weekend. Have the chapter's been long enough? Would you prefer the chapters be longer but more spaced out or shorter and more often? Or is the size I have going working for everyone?<em>


	8. First day of school (Part 2)

_So far I have one vote for often updates at the cost of some length to the chapters. Though to be honest, I think the 1,800-2,000 word average feels pretty good to me. I love feedback though on length and the story itself but don't worry, I wont hold the story hostage. However, my boyfriend is ending his night shift tonight and I don't normally get to write much when he is around. Guess I'll just see what happens. _

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><p>Michelle wasn't all that excited for her high school class. She had a sinking feeling that the teacher she is to be assisting is not going to be much help. With a deep breath she enters the class room, teacher nowhere in sight. If she wants her full paycheck, it has to be done. She only has enough savings to carry her comfortably until payday at the end of the month anyway so she needed every yen. Can't miss out and drop a class.<p>

The classroom was unruly. A paper airplane soared past her head. A young Burnett girl seemed to be trying to restore some order as a boy who Michelle can only guess is the class clown, is the center of the action. As teenagers in general are prone to do, other students got in on the action who probably otherwise would not have. For a moment, Michelle remembers why she dislikes teenagers in vivid detail.

She makes her way up to the podium style standing desk. She moves quickly and quietly, not drawing any attention to herself. The desperate student does notice Michelle's entrance and sits down, picture of a proper student. Michelle stands mostly unnoticed at the desk. A few students notice her but the boys in the center of the class go on unaware.

One clown is fairly typical in appearance. He wears a green uniform rater than the blue of the school and keeps his hair slicked back. A freakishly tall boy with a squared face and orange hair. Michelle can see that waiting wasn't going to work. She would have to break the boys out of their own world. In a bold move she slams he binder against the podium. The sound seemed to echo in the room. All eyes went to her instantly. Even those of the two trouble makers.

"Suwarimasu." She orders, glaring at the boys. She was not pleased, to say the least. The actual teacher is still nowhere in sight. The boys follow her order, somewhat shocked at her actions combined with the sharp command to sit down. She did not say "please" as would have been expected of her or as really she should have, culture demanded it. But she was in no mood and the harshness would be forgiven- she is gaijin after all.

Standing tall and confident, she introduces herself to the class. The young man with the slicked back hair and wrong uniform looked bored. Michelle can't fathom how he gets away with wearing the wrong uniform but assumes that with this student the uniform color is probably the least of her worries.

She requests for the students to tell her about their school and class in English to the best of their abilities, making sure to let them know that it is just so she can gauge their skills with the language as she is just meeting them. Some are better than others. The girl that had tried to bring the class to order seemed be one of the best. Michelle was surprised to hear the orange haired boy produce some basic English, much better than she expected.

Her fears though couldn't prepare her for the other boy. He seemed to be greatly lacking in vocabulary. As he gets frustrated he forgets sentence structure as he settles for telling Michelle that the room has one door and four windows. Though he uses English words they are in the word order that would be used in Japanese language causing him to sound very similar to Yoda. He tries a second time and corrects his mistake. vocabulary seems to be his weakest point though the whole class was needing to expand their vocabulary.

Michelle smiles at the boy who she fears will be her greatest headache. She tells him that he did very well and for a second, he looks caught off guard by the praise. It's not hard for Michelle to imagine that he doesn't get much praise in his schooling.

His first attempt at English reminds her of a joke her class had while she was studying Japanese. After studying hard they would find themselves messing up their English even thought they are native speakers. When every someone was caught butchering their English someone would ask them if "English speak well do?" It was a bit of a inside joke for the students.

After thinking for moment, Michelle announces to the class that she will conduct most of the class in English and and that in two month's time she will only conduct the class in English. they go over basic vocabulary that they will need to survive her decision. Some students looked excited about her choice. Others however, looked rather like she pronounced their death. As the class wrapped up she allows them some independent practice. She makes her way to the boy's desk and panics for a second fearing that she forgot his name when they had just done introductions ten minutes ago, in English even!

"Urameshi. " Thank god, it came to her before she made it to his desk. He looks up at her, annoyed though she isn't sure if it from the girl, Keiko. Michelle forgot the girl's surname. Keiko was lecturing him about studying and attendance. Michelle was glad she wasn't in the boy's shoes.

"What?" he asks, slightly sharply in Japanese. Michelle just smiles and continues. She tells him that she thinks he can catch up with his English. He is slightly shocked when she extends an offer to give extra lessons. Seeing as Keiko and Kuwabara are near by she opens the offer to them as well, hoping that if they decide to bite than he will to. She doesn't wait for an answer as the class ends and she leaves the room. Behind her she hears him comment something along the lines of 'why would I study when not at school'. Only time will tell.

The week passes much the same way as Monday did. Michelle didn't see the redhead again, though she was far to busy to notice anyway. The girls planned classes. Lunch with Robin was seeming to become a regular thing. Michelle hardly sees the actual English teacher for her high school class. Sara is lucky enough to have a very helpful teacher she is aiding. They seem to be falling into somewhat of a routine and the end of the school day on Friday comes about quickly.

Sara is invited over to a Japanese coworker's home for dinner. Michelle givers her a quick refresher on any manners she would need and instructs her to get a gift for the home or family. Fruit is often chosen and so the girls head off to the market for a quick trip before Sara heads to dinner. Mellon in had, the girl dashes off and Michelle is left alone on the street.

She walks around for a half an hour trying to find somewhere basic to grab dinner at. For whatever reason, it seems nothing easy to order exists around this area. Would it be too much to ask for a simple noodle shop? Apparently. With a sigh she turns around sharply and walks into a hard body. It felt like walking into a brick wall. This confused Michelle as she could swear the street was nearly empty and nobody was near her.

Before she has a chance to fall to the ground or apologize, a arm snakes around her waist and pulls her against him. He was tall and well built. Though the sun was nearly setting behind him, the man was wearing sunglasses. His face was littered with scars and his black hair fell over the glasses. Through the tinted lenses Michelle could just make out his eyes and the look in them turned her body to ice.

As she struggled against him to get free, the man lets out a throaty groan. He starts dragging her into the dark ally where a car is waiting. When she goes to scream he clamps his hand over her mouth. She tries to bite him but his large hand focuses pressure on the joints of her jaw, making it impossible to close her mouth. Tears burn at her eyes however she refuses to let them fall. Behind them, in the ally, someone makes themselves known.

"Tsk, Tsk, Tsk." The man holding Michelle turns to face the voice. In his surprise, he loosens the grip on her jaw and she bites down hard. As the bleeding hand is yanked from her face she gasps a breath.

"Urameshi, run! Get help!" She yells. The punk kid was a stick compared to the man who grabbed her.

"Not likely" He responds. "It's not good karma to attack gaijin teachers, dumbass." he stares at the man, showing no signs of being intimidated by the size of the brute.

The brute pulls a knife and points it at Michelle's throat. Japan is known for being fairly safe but Michelle was never a fool and knew violent crime happens everywhere. She never expected it to be happening to her or that she would be putting one of her students at risk.

"Leave." His gruff voice orders as he pushes the knife harder against her throat. She can feel the dull blade and knows that it is shark enough to get the job done but that the wound would be very painful. "Or I'll kill her." He continues to order. Michelle thinks of Sara and how upset she will be. With the blade she doesn't dare to struggle any longer.

"Her death won't be necessary." A smooth voice from behind states calmly, as if commenting on the weather. As the man moves to turn his arm with the knife is ripped from Michelle's throat and forced behind his back. Michelle is shocked by the suddenness of it all. It seemed to happen with supper human speed. Soon the man is screaming in pain as a sickening pop echos around them.

Michelle falls to the ground seconds before the man, the adrenalin in her system has turned her knees to jelly. The man's arm is useless at his side. Shuiichi gives a kick to his head, connecting with a sickening thud. The man goes limp but continues to breath. Michelle watches wide eyed as a small green imp like creature crawls from the man's chest.

Her student is now by the Shuiichi's side pointing at the creature as if his hand was a gun. Michelle is sure she is seeing things from the traumatic experience as the boy's finger starts the glow. As the bullet like blast is released the imp becomes no more. The world goes black as Michelle's body hits the ground, the events being too much for her to handle.

"How many of them are we dealing with?" Yusuke asks.

"We are not sure of that at this point." Kurama doesn't look at the boy as he picks up the body of the gaijin. She is limp in his arms. Out cold. "We don't know their goals or who behind their actions at this point." The boy nods and suggests taking his teacher to Genkai's to rest.

Kurama declines, knowing where her home is. He would take her there and talk his way into watching over her. They need to know how much she had seen. There was also the matter of her neck wound. The knife had nicked her when he pulled it away and she was bleeding. If Kurama hadn't have acted when he did however, the possessed man would have inadvertently cut her throat much worse. He took back ways to her home, not wanting to draw attention to himself.

The door to her apartment was locked, however he had no trouble changing that when no one answered his knocks. The lights where off but plenty of light came in through the sliding door allowing him to see his way. He could tell she had a roommate, two scents where everywhere. It takes him no time to locate Michelle's room. Her sent is strongest in this room and the unknown roommate's scent is nearly free from the space.

For once, he was disappointed in seeing a Gaijin who cares well for the futon. It is sitting in the corner, folded neatly. Kurama sets the girl on the ground gently and makes up her bed before placing her in it and covering her. The bleeding had stopped. He had to search a bit for a rag to wet with warm water. Softly he dabbed at her skin, cleaning away the blood. He settles for taping a bandage over the wound for now, not wanting to sit her up and risk reopening the wound.

Leaning against the wall he sits and waits. He listens to her breathing and for any signs of her roommate coming up the stairs. He watches her chest rise and fall. She was a beauty in her own right, he had to admit that.

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><p><em>I know that Yusuke didn't go to his final year of High School but I'm taking some liberty with the timeline. I hope you guys enjoyed. <em>


	9. The mind is weak

_Oh my goodness, reviews are everywhere! Hakudoushi-9 gets the cookie for being crazy on top of it and catching my posting the same chapter twice so it could get fixed within minutes of the mistake. Oh and thanks for pointing out the women/woman mistake a few chapters back- I haven't gotten around to fixing it as I need to do so at a time when my brain isn't muddled up with Japanese as they don't have singular or plural forms of words- it's all context and so thinking like that makes it supper hard for me to catch it sometimes. _

_Zoey24: I'm so happy you took the time to write me such a long review. :) I'm so happy you are enjoying my writing. I was really expecting people to be upset that I wasn't jumping right to the chase and spent chapters on my girls without a single one of the gang but it seems to have been well received. You liking Robin is bonus for me- she is modeled after the ALT that was teaching my class when I studied in Japan. As for the lessons, manga and anime don't show a lot of things or explain things because 99% if the time their target audience is Japanese and already know. _

_And my two guest reviews: I fully know that the Urameshi didn't make it to high school. As high schoolers do have to pay tuition, I doubt his mother would have been able to afford even the worst school and his grades, assuming he even passed middle school, wouldn't have been good enough to get any aid. Sucks but I always see the boys as older._

_And no, really people don't faint like that. In my experience in working in medical offices 99% of the time when you faint or otherwise pass out, it is only for a few short moments. Longer is normally the results of a head injury and is actually very concerning. But it makes a great plot device and so you see it in writings everywhere. My goodness, this got to be a long note! **350 word intro**_

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><p>It didn't take much time at all for Michele to wake. Kurama had been focused on the setting sun when it happened. All of a sudden, Michele's eyes opened wide and she sat straight up. Sharply she took in a breath as her hands, ever so small and frail looking went to clutch her head. It took but only a moment for the pain in her neck to register. When it did, her dominant hand went to her throat to find it bandaged. Her eyes wondered the room, wide and full of a mix of confusion and fear.<p>

Her eyes settled on the redhead. Gasping again she scoots back away from him. Her head hurt. Her throat hurt. She was confused. Scared. Thoughts rushed through her mind, one taking the place of another before she even had a chance to fully grasp the concepts. What happened? Why was he here? What was that thing? That light? Did the man die? Is she safe? Where is Sara? Did she die too? Was the man that grabbed her bad? Was her student bad? Was the man in front of her bad? Did he bring her here? How did he know where she lived? Her head spin with the questions.

Slowly she takes a deep breath. Michele has been here before. The feelings, the questions. She knows the rapid heartbeat and the quick shallow breaths. As her back hits the wall she sees the man moving to come to her side. Holding up her hand she shakes her head 'no' and forces herself to take a deeper breath. Her body shook as it fought to continue down the path that would lead to a panic attack if she allowed it. She started the chore of putting the pieces together.

"My name is Michele. I am 23 years old." She starts, whispering under her breath in English. She is not talking for him to hear her, but rather for her to hear herself. She starts off with simple facts before she tackles the things she isn't sure of right away. "I am in Japan." Kurama watches her as her body's shaking slows to a stop, never having seen anyone head off a panic attack in such a way.

"I teach two classes. I was going out to eat. A man grabbed me. He had a knife." She had to pause and breath for a moment. She had to force her mind to work. "Urameshi was there. Shuiichi was there. You are Shuiichi. The two of you helped me." Another pause. Kurama moved a bit closer as he waited. "You pulled the knife away from me."

Kurama was surprised when she looked him in the eye. He needed to know how much she remembered, how much she saw. If she saw too much than actions had to be taken. It would have to be decided if she could and would be allowed to remember and know of the world beyond humans. A lot of that depended on her reaction to what she had seen, if indeed she had seen anything at all before fainting.

"You brought me here, must have. You walked me home before. Sara must have left the door unlocked." She starts, before attempting to remember the rest of the ordeal. "Urameshi shot him." Her face shows the confusion. "He didn't have a gun, but it was a bright light. I remember something green..." She trails off, looking to Shuiichi to fill in the blanks as she forces herself to take some more deep breaths.

"It's okay, you are okay now." He starts in a soft and soothing voice. She didn't remember details and he was thankful for that, memories are easy enough to influence when they are still forming. "The light was from a stun gun." He states confidently. " You just didn't notice it, you were distracted. " She looks at him, completely accepting what he says as fact in her confused state. Any hint of doubt is slowly rubbed away by his hand on her shoulder.

He is the perfect picture of reassurance. Confident and sure of his words without in any way making her feel silly for what she was about to say. A monster? How silly of her to mistake a green shirt for a monster coming out of a man's chest. She places her hand on his and looks him in the eyes.

"Thank you," She starts softly. "I'm okay now. Thank you so much for all of your help."

"It was nothing at all" He tells her. She wonders for a moment if this is how he would actually respond if not that culture demanded it. No, he seems to be a truly kind hearted man. Before Michele wasn't even sure if he was 18 and thus a adult but she can see from how he handles himself that regardless of what his age may or may not be, he is indeed a man, not a boy. Boys in America could stand to learn a few things.

She tells him of how she needs to rest and thanks him again as she shows him out. Wouldn't do to have a guy over when Sara returns, she would change it into god knows what. After shutting the door she leans against it. She can't help but have a feeling that something is off.

With one last sigh she sets herself onto the task of taking care of her neck. It really isn't a bad wound at all, shallow. She knows she could have died this night. Since the bleeding has stopped, she settles for just wrapping a ribbon around her neck. Looking back at herself she smiles, she used to wear a ribbon in this way back in high school. It has been a long time. The rest of her night passes quietly as she waits for Sara to return.

Sara on the other hand enjoyed her dinner with her coworker's family. Akiko has a twin brother who seemed very interested in western way of life. He had offered to walk her home and she accepted. Akiko and Sara said their goodbyes, promising to chat at work. Off the two went, chatting all the way.

On the way they pass by a bar. Hikoku offers to buy Sara a drink and she accepts, not knowing well enough on how to navigate her way out of it in Japanese. Hikoku seems to know very little English. Soon an hour has passed and one drink became four. Sara's Japanese is failing her, but that's okay. Hikoku proves himself to be much better at English than she thought.

The bar is a little hole in the wall with a warm feeling. She likes it here. She likes it here with him. It would be pointless to deny her attraction to him if asked, she was going on drunk. Hikoku was tall by Japanese standards with sharp features and shaggy black hair. She eyes him, trying to be sly about it. Goodness, how his hair seems to fall into his eyes perfectly. Sara's night doesn't escalate too far and ends with a kiss at the door that left her wanting more. His hand slipped his number into hers. He walks off while she stands in a bit of a daze.

As Michele kills time with bad comedy and romance seems to blossom with Sara, things are a bit more serious with Kurama in the next ward over. A group of young adults have gathered to discus things that no sane person would believe. Quite words speak of demon imps, magic harps and trying to discover who is behind things. These young adults are the protecting force for mankind and they work behind the scenes.

Unfortunately, at this point in time they know very little of the situation and are being forced to simply deal with the imps that possess humans as they come. They are painfully hard to spot at times. The imp's presence within the body simply convinces the mortal to do whatever they have always desired to do, to take whatever it is they have yearned for. In many cases they cannot be spotted until their actions escalate however at that point even with the imp removed the mortal's mind seems to risk being damaged beyond repair.

Kurama gives the group his report on the gaijin attacked. She would be fine, it seams. It appears she will remember nothing of the most strange parts of the incident. He informs Yusuke of the story he told her and of how his Spirit Gun is now a stun gun. The group is somewhat surprised but thankful that the women bought it. When questioned on how he pulled it off, Kurama simply informs them of how weak the human memory is to the power of suggestion and even more so during a time of stress.

The night ends with goodbyes that strain to hide the stress of the situation. Each wants to be sure that those important to them are protected from this latest evil. They also know that they can't let the stress of the situation wear them down. Life must go on. Classes must be attended, work must be done, everything must continue as if normal so as to not worry those around them.

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><p><em>This was a little shorted then I like but I really felt this was a good stopping point. We are looking at an update a week or so at this time due to my 'alone' time getting cut by a change in schedule. Nothing is set in store with this story so any suggestions are welcomed. <em>


	10. A uneventful week

_It has been a while. So sorry about that. A few errors have been brought to my attention and they will get corrected... at some point. On the 10th I start back at University. This may sound like a bad thing for the story but it is actually a good thing- I will be allowed more time at the computer without having to deal with crap. Thank you to all of my reviewers, you guys give me the warm fuzzies._

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><p>For Michelle the next week passed fairly normally, everything as it should be. Her neck healed in fairly quick time. As classes came and go however, she can't shake the nagging feeling that something is off. She doesn't run into Shuuichi and after the first few nights tries to put the red headed rescuer out of her mind. It works sometimes and she has a great feeling of gratitude to him. Other times however, she feels mistrustful of the thought of him- almost as if he had lied to her and she knew. At no point in her memory does she remember him telling her a lie, or at least him being caught in one, though she hasn't really had too much interaction with him.<p>

Sara spends a lot of time out with some guy. Often the only time Michelle sees her is in the mornings before classes. Sara often asks for advice about this new man and proper actions. Michelle once joked that he was just chasing Sara for the exotic idea of being with an American girl. Sara didn't speak to her for the rest of the day- a mean feat considering how much Sara talks. After that, Michelle knew Sara was falling fast and hard for this guy. That really wasn't any different than normal, Sara always falls fast and hard, though she has the same affect on men. Both tend to get bored after a few months and Sara moves on to her new "true love" or "soul mate"

Michelle marches into her high school class, holding a large box in her hands. She gives them a relatively informal greeting in Japanese and the return with echos of "hi" and "hello". Most of her students can read and write decently so Michelle has decided to focus her class on Vocabulary and Conversational English. Takanashi sensei is never anywhere to be found when his English class is in session so Michelle has taken that as an all clear to do as she wishes. She moves around the room, placing a large array of cheep plastic foods in random locations.

"Etoo..." Keiko mumbles when a plastic bunch of purple grapes thumps lightly on her desk. "arigatou?" Michelle just smiles at her and all the other confused teenagers in the room as she heads to the front of the class. She conducts most of her class in English, forcing the students to actually vocally use their English however she always explains the lesson in both Japanese and English to be sure her students know what is expected of them.

Before she begins she eyes the empty desk by Keiko. That damned delinquents out again today. Every day this week. It saddens her, she sees a lot of herself in him. Maybe she will have to corner him and have a heart to heart. God, how Michelle hates to have such talks. None the less, class must go on.

"Today we will build vocabulary relating to food items. We are going to talk about the items in this room, what they are, what colors they are, their textures, their flavors, if you like or dislike them and so on." Her eyes roam the room, making contact with each of her students. They are watching her closely. This is the type of lesson they enjoy, practical uses rather than reading classical books that most American students can't or don't want to read i and comprehend. "I expect that if you don't know the word you wish to use, you will ask myself or a classmate what it is, in English."

As her English directions finish and before she begins again in Japanese, she hears the class door open and turns. Speak of the devil and he shall come (or think of him at least). Yusuke walks into the room, slinks over to his desk and sits down. Michelle offers him a smile rather than the lecture that most teachers would give considering he both interrupted her class and missed over half the school day. He was moving a little slower than normal, perhaps like he was in pain. She wonders for a moment if he could be sick then settles that he probably is recovering from some street brawl.

After delivering her instructions again in Japanese she has her students talk to the class mates around themselves for a bit about items near them. Michelle moves over to the devil's desk and sits on the window seal.

"Yo." Yusuke says, eyeing her with dread. He is fully expecting a lecture but is confused by her posture, relaxed, comfortable and calm; not at all angry.

"Yo." she answers back. Keiko watches on, surprised to see what may be a calm exchange between Yusuke and a teacher. The two eye each other for a few moments before Michelle casually picks up the plastic apple she sat next to. "listen closely, this is your one chance." She calmly states before looking up at the girl.

Keiko quickly tries to busy herself to make it appear as if she wasn't listening in. She knows she failed though. Busted.

"What is this?" Michelle asks the simple question fairly slowly in English while pointing at the apple. The girl answers correctly, confused. "Yoku dekimashita" Michelle brings her attention back to the boy who is glaring at her to mask his confusion. Again, she points to the apple. "What is this?"

"Ringo" He spits. While being technically correct, he knows that is not the language she wants his answer in. Michelle sighs, he uses the same tactic she used way back in high school. She will not be defeated.

"In English." She orders in English.

"Hell if I know." He retorts, in Japanese. He is giving himself away a little at a time without realizing it. She doubts that he even fully realizes how much he actually understands. She knows it is largely due to lack of confidence that resulted from a lack of practice and from teaches telling him he can't learn anything. Michelle knows the place he is currently in in his education all too well.

"Do it."

"No"

"yes" This continues for a few minutes, getting louder as the two shout at each other. He is frustrated as he is sure he doesn't know the word and Michelle is frustrated because she wants him to try- to say something, even if it is wrong.

Finally he spits out, "Apple". The word is dripping with poison and he is sure it is wrong, just as sure as he is that he can't learn this stupid language. What he doesn't realize is he is just as sure about "apple" being the wrong word as Michelle's Japanese teacher was about her ability to learn Japanese back in her freshman year of high school. Both that teacher and Yusuke are wrong. Michelle learned Japanese and "apple" is the correct English word for the object in her hand.

Keiko's eyes are wide with surprise. Students are staring. Michelle is grinning from ear to ear. The room is quite.

"Are you happy? Look how stu-" Michelle's voice cut's off his indignant rant.

"Yoku dekimashita" She states. "Very good" she repeats, patting him on the back. His face is a picture of pure shock. He got it right. He hadn't even attended most of the classes where she went over this vocabulary but he got it right.

The class passes time practicing. Yusuke participates though only in the small group. Anyone else daring to try to include him in their practice is given a glare. Soon enough the class is set free by the bell.

Michelle gathers her fake fruit as Keiko walks up to her. A few students linger behind talking while others set to work on cleaning the class room. Michelle will always be thankful that American high schools have staff to clean and that she didn't have to stay late occasionally to do the cleaning herself.

"We are getting pizza later with some friends." Keiko says, conversing in Japanese. She appears to be shy often times but is such a warm girl. Michelle bites back to urge to congratulate the girl as she knows Keiko is trying to lead up to something.

"Lucky you." Michelle offers, instead of her smart ass remark. She smiles as she stands with her box, eager to get home but knowing she will probably be eating alone again tonight.

"Well, would you like to come? If you don't have other plans, I mean." The girl spits out. From the door, Yusuke shouts for her to hurry up or he will leave her behind.

Michelle agrees and they make arrangements for Keiko and Yusuke to pick Michelle up and walk with her so as she doesn't get lost. Michelle doesn't argue too much knowing that the young girl is offering a kindness. It appears after she gets home she will have to get ready to leave again.

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><p><em>Dude, I'm so sorry this took forever. I plan to pick back up with this again to at least provide regular updates. I'm going to shoot for once a week at least. <em>


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